


Born, not Bitten

by minthalo



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Werewolves, Zach is a Werewolf, but there IS a lack of abo in this fandom and one day i will write one for this ship, sort of? like not really but kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-19 10:31:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16532861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minthalo/pseuds/minthalo
Summary: Zach is a werewolf, he's hidden it from his best friends for years and he planned to keep it that way, but an untimely visit from Eugene burned all that to the ground.





	Born, not Bitten

**Author's Note:**

> i meant to have this up before halloween. oops?

Zach is a werewolf.

There’s no other explanation for it, that’s what he is. He’s a werewolf. 

He’s hidden it from just about everyone, except his family, for his entire life. He’s not a dominant wolf by any means, but he isn’t exactly submissive. He’s a Beta without a pack, he’s not looking for one either, and that’s okay.

He’s hairy because of the wolf in him, however when people ask he doesn’t say that, he tells them genetics, it’s not exactly a lie either.

He’s been able to hide it his entire life, when he moved away from home it was much harder, but he was able to do it for years, even while working for Buzzfeed and doing videos with the Try Guys.

The day of the full moon he goes on like normal, he goes to work, a little itchy under the skin, and slightly irritable, but nothing that can’t be ignored. He doesn’t go out after work these days, or invites anyone over, going out, even during the day time, is too risky, it’s better to be at home, safe and alone.

Zach makes sure his house is in order before he eats excessively and stretches out his limbs, preparing himself for the upcoming transformation. He has to stretch or else when he turns back into a human his entire body aches for more than a few days.

He orders enough food for that night and the next morning, stuff he can eat cold so when he gets back home, drained and starving, he can eat and go straight to sleep.

When Zach transforms he’s not nearly as wild as most think he is, for the most part he’s like an overgrown dog. He’s a little larger than a Gray Wolf, three and a half feet feet from paws to shoulder and a bit over five feet lengthwise. The entire time he mostly just runs around, finding a secluded area to do whatever wolves do.

He doesn’t hunt, he doesn’t feel the need too, especially if he ate enough beforehand, there isn’t a primal need to kill another animal just for sport.

Zach gets his dog, Bowie, for company when he turns. Truthfully he’s much more of a cat person, but when he’s in his wolf, it’s better to be with another canine, especially because he’s turning alone.

He always takes the day after the full moon off from work. For the first few months he was on his own, he tried to work the next day, but he’s exhausted from both transformations combined with all the running he does when he’s in his wolf, he’s almost fallen asleep at his desk more times than one, so he’s learned just to take the entire day off, and work from home if possible. 

After they leave Buzzfeed to form their own company it gets harder to hide it from his friends. They spend every waking moment with each other at their new office, either filming videos, or editing them.

Zach takes over making appointments for the company, especially when it comes to making videos, he needs to make sure he’ll have enough energy during those days, and that they definitely don’t line up with the full moon, he can’t risk his friends booking anything on those important days.

His friends or coworkers never figure it out, sure they think it’s strange at times, how eager he is to leave or turn down hang outs on seemingly random days, every twenty eight days to be exact, the cycle of the moon, but they never make the werewolf connection.

That is, until Eugene shows up, unexpectedly, at Zach’s front door the night of the full moon.

 

It’s been a few months since they started the company, and Zach has been doing pretty well at hiding what he is, every appointment they had he made sure didn’t interfere with the moon. 

That day he went to work like normal and went home without suspicion, Keith had plans with Becky, and Ned and Ariel have been busy with Wes. Eugene didn’t mention plans, but he usually has them, so Zach assumed he was safe.

He was wrong. So, so, wrong.

Eugene walks into Zach’s house unannounced, Zach told him he wasn’t doing anything that night, so he figured it would be fine for him to hang around, get help with editing a video they were planning, maybe drink a little, over all just to hang out.

He walks through the unlocked front door and is met with a sight he wasn’t expecting, he doesn’t know what he was expecting, but Zach dressed in nothing but a pair of loose fitting boxers, stretching on his living room floor while surrounded by three closed pizza boxes and an open fourth with only a few slices left inside, Bowie laying next to him, is not what he expected

Zach looks restless, it’s clear he’s supposed to be concentrating on the stretches, but his leg is shaking anxiously and his hands are twitching every couple moments. His eye are stuck out the window, almost like he’s waiting for something.

“Uh, hey Zach.” Eugene brings attention to himself.

Zach’s head shoots up and his eyes widen, there’s something off about them, but Eugene can’t place it. “Eugene? What the hell are you doing here?!” 

“I came over to see if you wanted to hang out, talk about how we wanted to edit the video we just shot- are you okay, Zach?” Eugene asks, walking closer to him.

Zach folds his legs under him before standing up and backing away. His eyes dart to the clock, then out the window, before landing on Eugene.

“You need to leave!”

“What? You don’t look so good, buddy.” Zach growls, like he actually growls at Eugene, “Zach, what’s wrong?”

Zach opens his mouth, whatever he was going to say dies on his lips, he scratches at his ear with his right hand, trying to think of something,  _ anything,  _ to say but it’s too late, he can already feel his bone structure beginning to change. He makes a run for the back door, Bowie following him, already knowing the routine by now.

Eugene follows him, beyond confused by his friend’s behavior. “Zach? Zach, what’s wrong, where are you going?” He shouts after him. 

They get to Zach’s backyard, Bowie walking over to the back gate, sitting down by the door, knowing they’ll be leaving soon. 

Zach scratches at himself, nails going across his stomach and chest, up to his neck, the transformation already beginning. 

“Eugene, leave!” He growls out to Eugene, while he still has his voice.

He bends over, head between his knees, he can feel his bones shifting, his spine changing, it’s pushing his skin in strange directions, fur growing all over his body, covering himself as he falls to his knees, turning fully into a wolf. 

Eugene stands there, paralyzed, watching his best friend shape shift in front of his eyes. He doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know how to react, he doesn’t know if he can do anything, he’s frozen, whether in fear or shock, he doesn’t know.

The whole transformation takes a little under than five minutes, Zach’s entire body turning from grown man to a large wolf. When it’s over Eugene blinks a few times, focusing on the creature in front of him.

He looks like a wolf, the kind you would see on the nature channel. His fur is the same color as Zach’s hair, a chocolate brown. The boxers he was wearing have been ripped, fallen in three pieces on the grass next to him. 

His eyes are the same, they don’t look human, but the color is the bright blue that Eugene always finds comfort in, and the feeling is the same, looking across the yard, Eugene knows it’s Zach, purely because of his eyes, and he knows Zach recognizes him.

They stand there in Zach’s backyard, staring at each other for what feels like hours but is barely over a minute.

“Z-Zach?” Eugene asks, he can barely recognize his own voice.

The wolf doesn’t move. Eugene steps closer, his hand stretched out, shaking slightly. He still doesn’t move. They’re a yard away from each other when Zach takes his first step, he touches his nose to Eugene’s fingertips, closing his eyes briefly, just for a moment, before he turns and runs out of the gate, Bowie following him.

Eugene stands in the backyard for a long time after Zach leaves, trying to fully process what just happened to him. He doesn’t know what to do, usually in times of crisis the first person he would call would be to Zach, but Zach is the problem here. 

So instead he calls Ned and Keith.

Ned is not happy that Eugene called him at barely nine pm when he’s supposed to be spending his night with his wife and child, but after hearing the panic and fear in Eugene’s voice he meets him at Zach’s house without any other question.

Keith wasn’t thrilled to be called out either, but Eugene doesn't freak out often, so whatever it is must have been really bad.

 

“Alright, we’re both here, will you stop pacing and tell us what’s wrong? Where is Zach, where’s Bowie? Why are we here without him?” Ned says from the couch where he and Keith are sitting.

Eugene stops walking around the room and takes a deep breath, rubbing his face before straightening his back.

“Zach is- god that’s the problem.”

“What, is he okay? Did he get kidnapped or something?” Keith asks, already thinking the worst.

Eugene shakes his head, “No! He just- he’s not himself? He’s a freaking werewolf!”

Keith sits back and Ned snorts, “seriously Eugene-”

“No!” Eugene cuts him off before he can say anything snarky, or even insinuate this is a joke, “I’m not kidding!”

“Okay, okay. You’re not kidding” Keith says, holding his hands up to calm him down, “start from the beginning, what happened?”

Eugene takes another deep breath, falling back onto a chair in Zach’s living room, “I came over to hang out with him tonight, and he started freaking out about me being here at all, because I came here unannounced and his eyes looked a little weird and he started yelling and growling, like real growls, and then he ran outside and just- he fucking transformed into a wolf!” 

“What do you mean he transformed into a wolf?” Ned asks, slow and calm.

“I mean his bones started moving inside of his fucking body and hair- fur started growing everywhere and then he was a wolf. He looked at me and couldn’t talk, he looked like a big dog, and then he ran away, with Bowie.”

“You’re telling me that Zach turned into a wolf?”

“Yes!” Eugene shouts, his hands gesturing wildly, “I know it sounds crazy, and if either of you told this to me I wouldn’t believe you for a second but it happened, I swear!”

He sounds so genuinely confused, and fearful that the two other men don’t dare say anything against him. It’s a long tense silence between the three of them before Keith pulls out his phone and unlocks it.

“What time did he do this?”

Eugene looks over at him, straightening his back, “I don’t know, hour and a half, maybe two hours ago? I was in shock for a while…”

Keith types a bit on his phone before he turns it to show Eugene, he can’t really see it but it’s the gesture that matters. “The moon rose at 7:28 tonight, does that sound right?”

Eugene rubs his face, “yeah, I walked in around 7:15, we argued a bit, it all happened very fast.”

“I can do more research on werewolves but if he turned when the moon rose, he should turn back as it sets, which will be 6:47 tomorrow morning.”

Eugene nods, “okay… okay. I’m staying here until then.”

“I’ll stay with you.” Keith says without hesitation, already texting Becky that there’s an emergency and he needs to stay with Eugene for the night.

Ned gives them a sheepish look and Eugene gives him a small smile, “you don’t have to stay, you have a wife and a baby, Ned.”

“I’ll be here at six am tomorrow.” He says firmly, standing up with his keys in hand.

“Okay, safe drive home.” Keith says as Ned walks through the front door and out to his car.

Eugene sinks back into the chair, pulling his legs up to his chest, he looks small and vulnerable. Keith has seen a lot of different versions of Eugene, but nothing like this, whatever he saw really messed him up.

“It’ll be okay, Eugene. Zach will be okay.” Keith says softly. 

Keith falls asleep on the couch not long after while Eugene stays awake, staring at the wall, lost in thought. He closes his eyes for what seems like a just a moment, but the next thing he sees is Ned, sitting on the chair across from him.

Eugene sits up straight, swinging his legs over so he’s sitting properly, and rubs his eyes. “What time is it?” He asks, his voice raw with sleep.

“6:30, I got here a little while ago, didn’t want to wake you guys yet.” Ned says.

“Thanks.” Eugene looks out the window, “we have to wake Keith soon, Zach should be back in a bit…”

They wake Keith at 6:45 and wait around in mostly silence, watching the clock tick by. Keith is still mostly waking up, rubbing his eyes and letting out yawns, he’s not used to waking up this early. Ned constantly checks his phone, just in case Ariel messages him about their baby, he doesn’t like to be away from home for too long. Eugene moves from the chair to sitting next to Keith on the couch, he stays quiet, looking from his lap to the window, lost in his own thoughts.

Zach pushes the back door open at 6:56 am, back in his full human form. Bowie follows in behind him, going straight for his food bowl, eating the hard food that’s left there. Zach rolls back his shoulders, locking the back door before going into the living room, seeing his three friends all stare at him.

They stand in silence for a few moments before Ned tosses Zach a pair of sweatpants to put on, so he’s not just standing there naked. He pulls them on, joints cracking as he does it, he notices all three of them wince, but no one comments.

Bowie walks out of the kitchen after he finished the bowl of kibble and goes straight to his dog bed. He knows there are people in the living room with him, but he’s too tired to greet them, after running around for the whole night he’s ready to sleep the whole day, as is Zach, only he doesn’t get to.

Zach sits down on the chair, where Eugene slept the night. He stretches his back, spine cracking as he does so. He pulls a box of pizza off the coffee table and sets it on his lap, opening it and taking a slice out.

Two transformations and nearly twelve hours of running around in the wild, mixed with the stress of Eugene, and now Ned and Keith, knowing about him, he’s starving and exhausted.

He eats a whole slice in less than three bites, swallowing and picking up another and looks up at Eugene. He takes another bite, eating half the slice in one go before sitting back, maintaining eye contact.

“So, did you tell them?” He asks, breaking the tense silence.

Eugene nods, “y-yeah.”

Zach finishes off the slice, sitting back and wiping his face with his not pizza grease hand, “so, cats out of the bag, huh.”

“Is what Eugene tells us true?” Ned asks, Keith sitting up, now more awake.

“How much did he tell you?” 

“He said that you turned into a wolf in front of him and then ran away.” Keith says, bluntly.

“Yeah, it’s true.” Zach picks up another slice and takes a bite, looking over the three of them, debating how much to say.

“Are you going to say anything, or just keep eating?” Eugene asks, a bit harshly.

Zach narrows his eyes, “oh, I’m sorry, my body structure only changed into a wolf and back and I spend the entire night running around, all I need right now is to eat and sleep, but somebody decided to show up unannounced so instead of resting, which I desperately need, I have to explain myself to you. So, I’m sorry if that inconveniences you.”

Eugene shrinks back momentarily only to shake it off quickly, “I’m sorry for walking in on you unannounced but what the fuck, Zach? You’re a fucking werewolf, and you didn’t tell us!” 

Zach huffs and drops the slice in the box, “what am I supposed to say? Surprise, every full moon I turn into a ravenous wolf and run around the entire night only to come home and crash for the whole day after eating as much as possible.”

“You didn’t seem ravenous, you touched my hand.” 

Zach picks up the slice again, taking another bite, “I don’t feel the need to hunt or be aggressive when I’ve eaten enough before hand, I just feel the need to run. I didn’t attack you because I recognized you, I think I did, my wolf might’ve.”

“What do you mean think? It’s a part of you isn’t it?” Keith speaks up. “Like it’s just you turned into a wolf, right?”

Zach shifts, “sort of? It’s a separate part of myself, like a whole different mindset when I’m shifted. I don’t remember much of what happens when I’m a wolf, but I can recognize sights, sounds and smells, and I try to go for what’s familiar while still keeping myself and everyone around me safe. I also have an overwhelming need to run, and since I’m still conscious enough to know that I’m dangerous I try to aim for secluded mostly wooded areas.”

“So it’s two different parts of you then?”

“I guess. I don’t really know how to explain it to someone who doesn’t know what it’s like.” Zach looks at his hands.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ned asks, softly, not at all aggressive and hostile the way Eugene was with him. “We’re your best friends.”

“I’m a werewolf, Ned. It’s not exactly a topic of conversation, the only people who know are my family, and now you guys. I’ve never told anyone, I’ve never had a girlfriend long enough for them to know, or friends who I trusted enough to tell, or in this case, barge in unannounced and find out.” He side eyes Eugene who only glares back, only he’s significantly relaxed, his shoulders are down and he’s leaning back on the couch, not looking nearly as tense as he did earlier.

“So, do we get to ask questions now?” Keith asks. “Or is there more serious stuff we have to talk about first.”

Zach finishes off the slice of pizza he’s holding, “we can talk more serious stuff later today, after I wake up, if I wake up today. You guys can ask a few questions but I really need to sleep.”

“Is the werewolf thing why you’re so hairy?” Keith asks without hesitation.

“Yes. Next question.”

“Where’s your bite mark?” Ned asks.

“I was born, not bitten.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, no mark.”

“Do you have a knot on your dick?” Keith asks, apparently he just doesn’t have a filter.

“I’m not answer- wait you’ve seen my dick, you know the answer to that.”

“Do they hurt?” Eugene asks quietly. “The transformations I mean, do they hurt?”

Zach shifts, he’s not entirely comfortable talking about this with humans, but they are his best friends, and he does trust them, and now that they know he might as well talk about it.

“To a point.” He says, “They make my body feel twisted up, like bad knots, and my skin doesn’t feel right on my body until a few days after. Stretching before helps, after does too but I usually don’t have the energy for it.”

He closes up the empty box of pizza, he ate the whole thing while talking to the three of them, and tosses it onto the floor. Cleaning will be a later Zach problem, it’s a sacrifice now Zach is willing to make.

“We can talk more about this tomorrow,” Ned says, making the decision to end the conversation here, “Come into the office tomorrow, don’t bother today.”

Zach opens his mouth to argue but Ned puts his hand up, “You’re way too tired, taking one day off isn’t going to kill the company. Go to bed, we’ll talk more about this tomorrow, all of us will.” 

Zach doesn’t argue, he’s too tired for it, it’s now almost eight in the morning, after being awake all day and night, he can’t even think about work. He mumbles goodbyes to the three of them and trudges upstairs, curling up on his bed, over the covers, and falling asleep within moments.

 

“Alright, let’s go to work.” Ned says, pulling out his keys from his pocket.

“You guys go ahead, I’m going to work from here, I have my laptop, I’ll be able to edit.” Eugene says, his eyes on the hallway leading to the staircase.

“Eugene.” Ned says warningly.

“I’ll be fine. I just want to talk to him one on one, and make sure he’s okay, you know… I can work from here.”

Keith sighs, but he knows he won’t be able to fight him on this one. “Fine, call us if you need anything, and actually try and work.”

“I will, promise.”

“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Ned says as the two of them go to the door.

Eugene settles on Zach’s couch and pulls his laptop out of the bag he brought, beginning the process of editing a video, what he originally planned to do with Zach the night before.

 

Zach wakes up around five pm the same day. He walks downstairs to feed Bowie and get himself something to eat and then go straight back to bed, instead he sees Eugene sitting at his kitchen table, working on his laptop.

 

“You’re still here.” Zach says it like a fact, it is one.

Eugene looks up, he cleaned up Zach’s living room, picking up the pillows him and Keith knocked off the couch and chair as well as threw away the empty pizza boxes and put away what small amount of leftovers he had.

“I am, I wanted to talk, without everyone else around.”

Zach pours Bowie a bowl of kibble and sets it on the ground for him, “okay. Talk.”

“I wanted to apologize, for walking in unannounced and finding this out, you clearly were trying to hide this from us.”

“Yeah, for good reason.” Zach says, turning to the sink to pour himself a glass of water.

“And I wanted to make sure you were okay after you know, the whole wolf thing.”

Zach turns around at that, looking him in the eyes for the first time since he woke up, “make sure I’m  _ okay?  _ I’ve been doing this since I was a literal child, ever since moving here I’ve been on my own and I’ve been taking damn good care of myself, before and after I turn, eating enough before and after, taking the day off to sleep and recharge, I even got a dog so I wouldn’t be alone during my transformations, since wolves are pack animals, I don’t need a  _ human _ checking up on me, you don’t know what it’s like, you don’t know what I need.”

Eugene sinks back into the seat, “Okay, sorry. You don’t have to sound so pissed off about it…”

“I am pissed off, Eugene! This isn’t some little secret that’ll end well from you knowing, it’s not like you finding out I’ve secretly been a dog person this whole time, or that surprise I actually do like lima beans. I kept this a secret because it has to be, you’re a human, Eugene, humans aren’t supposed to know that werewolves are real, let alone that I am one!”

“You’re my best friend, Zach, it’s not like I’m going to go off and tell the government about you!”

“You could tell other people, you already have actually. This is an important thing that I didn’t plan on telling anyone, ever.” Zach rubs his face, the glass of water behind him long forgotten as panic sets back in.

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t think that, because I’m not fucking human, Eugene. I can’t just go around and tell people that I’m human, no matter how close I am to them, I don’t know how they’ll react, or who they’ll tell.”

“I won’t tell anyone-”

“You told Ned and Keith.” Zach cuts him off.

“Well excuse me, I was fucking terrified, Zach! You turned into a wolf right in front of me, and they’re your best friends, too! You didn’t hurt me, I was just scared, scared about this, scared for you.”

“By telling Ned and Keith you’ve already told their wives, maybe Ned and Keith will keep it quiet but I don’t know Ariel and Becky that well, god knows who they’ll tell! It’s a giant game of telephone and I can’t have this happen, I don’t need anyone knowing about me!”

Eugene shrinks back, he’s never seen Zach this angry before, he looks vulnerable sitting like that, like nothing Zach has ever seen before, but he’s pissed off, and rightfully so.

“I’m sorry.” Eugene whispers.

“You should be.”

Zach picks up the glass from the counter and sits across from him at the table, three chairs distancing themselves from each other, it’s unlike Zach, he loves human affection, usually he tries to sit as close as possible.

“We still have to talk about this, you know. Like really talk, with the other guys.”

“Yeah. I know.” Zach says.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Zach staring down his water, like he’s trying to find answers through the liquid. Eugene watches him, he’s never seen him like this before, so tense and angry, he feels terrible. He closes his laptop and slips it in his bag before standing up.

“I guess I’ll go home now.” He speaks quietly.

Zach stands with him and takes him to the front door, he unlocks it and steps aside for Eugene to leave. 

Eugene takes a step out before stopping and turning back to Zach, one foot out the door. “We love you, you know that right? This, us knowing about you doesn’t change that, nothing ever could.”

Zach softens a bit despite himself, “Yeah… I know. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Zach eats a small meal after Eugene leaves before going back to sleep, this time Bowie by his side in bed. He sleeps through the entire night, waking up the next morning to his alarms like normal.

He does his normal morning routine, stretching before walking Bowie, a short one, it always is the day after, Bowie is still tired from the previous night of running, and Zach’s limbs aren’t too kind when it comes to the days after a full moon.

He walks into the office at eight thirty, the three others already there, beginning their work for the day. Ned stands up when he hears Zach walk inside, He taps both Eugene and Keith on their shoulders to get them to take out their headphones and stand up.

They walk to their filming area, where the couch is, they have Zach sit in the one chair while the other three sitting on the couch, all of them looking at Zach.

“So, werewolf.” Keith starts.

“Yeah, werewolf.” Zach sighs, “have you guys told anyone? I know Eugene hasn’t said anything to anyone other than you two,”

“I told Ariel…” Ned says.

“I tried to tell Becky, but she didn’t believe me.” Keith says.

Zach takes a deep breath, “okay… Okay, that’s fine. I’d rather her keep thinking it’s a lie or some kind of practical joke or something. Ariel won’t tell anyone… right?”

Ned nods, “she won’t, I just can’t keep secrets from her, you know that…”

“I know, she’s like you. I told Eugene this already but I can’t have anyone else knowing about this, I kept it a secret for this long for a reason.”

“Why?” Keith asks suddenly, “I mean, we’re your best friends, don’t you trust us?”

“Of course I trust you guys, but this isn’t just some secret that I can tell my friends, I’ve never even had a partner long enough where it warranted telling them, friends close enough to tell. It’s a big deal, I’m not human, Keith.”

“But going through all that alone must be so hard, you said you were born so you had your family but you’re here you’re alone, Eugene said you were like a giant dog, we could be there while you’re like that.”

“You don’t like dogs, Keith.”

“I like you, you’re my friend, I could handle you as a dog for twelve hours.”

“I’m not a dog, I’m a wolf, much much bigger than a dog, and please I’ll turn at moonrise and you’ll be asleep by midnight.” Zach says, but he’s hiding a smile.

“We’d do it, stay with you, I mean.” Eugene says, gently.

“You don’t know how I really am, I don’t know if I’d stay with you or even hurt you, I usually just turn and run away.”

“You didn’t hurt Eugene.” Ned points out.

“I could have, I’m not myself, I don’t know what I could do to you guys, I’d never forgive myself if I hurt one of you.”

“Then at least let us stay in your house for the night, help you in the morning. You shouldn’t go through that alone, even if you are used to doing it alone, you shouldn’t have to.” Eugene tells him.

Zach is quiet for a few moments before, eventually, he nods, “okay. Next month, but we have more talking about it, closer to the day though, not now.”

Keith grins, “Okay, good. In the meantime I have more questions.”

Ned elbows him and Keith yelps, rubbing his side. Zach shakes his head, but he has a smile.

“It’s fine, I know you guys must be curious, you can ask questions.”

“So are you like an Alpha wolf without a pack, looking to make your own?”

“Keith, what part of me says Alpha.” Zach deadpans. “I have a pack- well, not really anymore I guess. My pack was my family, my father was the head ‘Alpha’ I suppose, now I am sort of a lone wolf, but my wolf is not an Alpha, and my human definitely is not.”

“So you don’t have a pack now?”

“No, it’s why I have Bowie. I got him so I wouldn’t be alone when I turn, he’s great company, I don’t remember much when I’m in my wolf, so I never remember if I can actually understand what he says, but I know that the first time turning with him there I was a lot more at ease, having him with me is nice.”

“If you don’t hurt Bowie you won’t hurt one of us.” Ned says, sure of himself.

“You don’t know that.”

“It’s not like we’ll lock you in your house with us, we’ll just be there when you come back to help you ease back into your human self, eat and rest so you’re not alone, like you said, wolves are pack animals, let us help you, Zach.” Keith says gently.

“I already said you could… it’s just, it’s really hard. I’ve never had humans know about what I am, let alone stay with me while I’m in my wolf. Eugene already saw me turn, it scared him, I know it did.”

Zach looks at Eugene as he talks, he can tell Eugene wants to deny it, for Zach’s sake, say it wasn’t scary, but Zach remembers the look of fear plastered on the other man’s face, and knows it would be a lie.

“I’ll get used to it.” Eugene says instead, “We all will.”

“Well we have another month before we have to prepare ourselves, so until then let’s get some actual work done.” Ned stands up. 

They three follow him and all go back to their work areas, Keith moves so he can work next to Zach, it’s a small gesture, just moving his laptop to be next to him, but it means the world to Zach. 

 

Over the next few weeks Zach takes the calendar that they keep in the office and marks off every full moon date with a big circle and a small drawing of a little wolf.

The days before the moon they pay extra attention to Zach, noticing how his behavior changes, he’s quicker to snap before laughing, and he moves around a lot, like he’s restless, never sitting, and when he stands he bounces, like a video game character. 

They don’t treat him any differently, knowing he’d get upset if they did, and he’s grateful for that. He knows that he’s being rude, but they snap back at him, and push him around like usual, it makes him feel normal. 

 

The day of the full moon Eugene takes Zach home and spends the rest of the afternoon with him, hanging around like normal. They don’t drink, even if it’ll calm Eugene’s nerves, Zach has never been drunk before he transforms, and he does not want to find out what happens if he is, and Eugene doesn’t want to drink alone.

Ned and Keith show up an hour before he turns with a large amount of take out Chinese food in their hands. They sit in Zach’s living room, making small conversation while Zach eats what seems like his weight in orange chicken. 

“Holy shit, Zach,” Ned says, watching him set down another empty container, “when you said you eat a lot I assumed it would be a little more than usual, not enough for four people.”

Zach shrugs and slips off his chair onto the floor, beginning his stretches. “I have to eat a lot or else I hunt, the transformation takes a lot out of me.”

“Have you ever hunted before?”

“Yeah, I’ve killed a few ducks before,” Zach sticks his leg out, reaching out to touch his toes. “once I killed a baby deer, that night was bad…”

“You actually killed a deer?” Keith looks at him with wide eyes.

Zach switches to his other leg, “yeah, it was the first moon here, I didn’t have my family with me, and I didn’t have Bowie yet either, I was alone and scared and felt sick before so I didn’t eat nearly enough before and I caught a deer.”

“Did you eat it?”

“Part of it, I didn’t bring it back home, and I felt awful after I turned back human, not like sick because it was bad meat I felt bad for killing an animal, I’ve never done something like that before, when I was with my family anyway.”

“It was your instinct, Zach, not your fault.”

“Yeah, I know, but I still don’t like that I did that, it’s why I always make sure to eat enough before turning.”

“So why’d you get Bowie?”

“Company while I’m in my wolf, he’s nice to run around with, and keeps me grounded, like a reminder of my human life so I don’t do anything a little too reckless. I haven’t killed anything while I’ve had him, I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not but I think he helps me with that kind of stuff.”

“That’s good, it’s like you have a friend then.”

Zach nods, moving to stretch his arms, “You guys really don’t have to stay for this.” He says again, for the fourth time that night.

Other than Eugene on accident, Zach has never had a human watch him turn, and he knows for a fact that it’s not a pleasant sight to watch 

“We want to.” Ned says, again, reassuring Zach.

“Yeah, we’ll be here when you come back, now that we know about this, you shouldn’t be alone when you’re like that.”

“Well, I won’t really be here, Bowie and I, ew kind of just run off, find a wooded area to be in for a while.”

“Then we’ll be here for when you get back.” Eugene tells him, “you shouldn’t have to take care of yourself when you come back all tired after turning.”

Zach looks at the floor, smiling to himself. He’s never had friends that cared this much about him, he knew that the three of them cared about him, but both Keith and Ned have wives, Ned has a child, Eugene has his own life but they all dropped everything to spend the night here, with him.

“Thanks guys… and I know Eugene already has seen it, but when I turn, it’s not exactly pleasing to the eye, it’s a little terrifying to a bystander, I mean my whole body is morphing itself into another creature.”

“Yeah, so?” Ned asks.

“I mean if you guys don’t want to watch it, see it happen or whatever, you don’t have to. I won’t be offended if you look away.”

“Okay, that’s not anything serious.” Keith says.

“Also the giant wolf aspect is still a thing, if you’re scared of that you don’t have to be around me, I don’t think I’ll be around for long, I tend to leave right after.”

“That’s okay,” Ned says, “we’ll be here for when you get back, human or wolf. Besides, Eugene said you look like a giant puppy.”

“I do not! I am a ferocious wolf who could kill you!”

Eugene laughs, sitting back on the chair, “all you did was touch the tip of your cute little note to my fingers and run away, so vicious.”

Zach glares, narrowing his eyes at him “I am a  _ beast _ .” he grumbles.

“Yes, and you’re so cute too.” he coos.

 

Barely an hour after that Zach starts to feel that itch under his skin, he shakes his leg, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, trying to loosen up. He feels the other mens eyes on him and wants to back out, tell them to leave, but it’s too late.

Zach runs outside, he feels the transformation already beginning, Bowie follows him standing a few yards him, watching him, he knows the routine by now.

The other three men run out with him, watching him, the turn is the same as before, only Zach isn’t yelling for Eugene to turn back, and the other two men are there with him.

However that same look of fear is on his face, and it’s clear he’s afraid he’s going to scare off his friends, he knows Eugene won’t be, but Zach isn’t so sure about Ned or Keith.

The three men stay and watch the whole thing, all trying to keep their faces from showing exactly how horrified they actually are. The transformation is the same as before, his bones shifting under his skin, stretching it in ways that shouldn’t be possible until he’s fully a wolf.

 

When it’s complete Zach bends his nose down and touches his nose to Bowie’s before lifting his head to look at the three humans in front of him. All of them stare back, Ned and Keith standing the furthest away from him, both with wide eyes from watching the transformation.

Eugene steps forward, his hand stretched the same way it was the month before, only this time it’s not shaking. Zach meets him in the middle, letting Eugene touch his snout, petting him gently.

“Go on, we’ll be here when you get back. All three of us.” He says softly, he’s not sure if Zach can understand him when he’s like this, but he hopes the tone of his voice at least gives away it’s meaning.

Zach’s eyes flicker to the two men behind him, he closes his eyes for a moment before looking back up at Eugene. He licks the palm of his hand, a gesture of thanks, before running out of the gate, Bowie following not too far behind. 

The moment Zach is out of site Keith runs inside, barely making it to the bathroom in time before emptying his stomach. Ned pours him a glass of water, taking it to the bathroom, the two of them scarred from watching Zach turn.

Once Keith and Ned recovered they pick up their take out boxes and put the leftovers away. They set alarms for before moonrise so they can be awake before Zach returns, and takes the spare bedroom, sharing the queen sized bed.

Eugene stays downstairs, taking the couch, he originally planned to stay up the whole night, but he quickly falls asleep, curled up with his head on his arms.

 

Zach spends hours running around a nearby hiking trail with Bowie, getting out most of his urge to run, weaving through the trees, not straying too far from the main path but never on it, not wanting to run into any humans who are taking a late night stroll. 

After a while he calms down, slowing his run to a trot, he presses his nose to Bowie’s side when he fully stops. He gestures back the way he came staring down the path for a few moments before the two of them walk back home.

They arrive home a few hours before moonrise, Zach shakes off his pelt before standing on his hind legs and paws at the door handle, opening it up, it’s not as hard as it looks, and since it’s unlocked it’s easy enough to open it with the kind of handle it has.

Bowie walks in after him, going for the water bowl kept by his empty bowl of kibble. Zach walks into the living room, lifting his nose up to smell the area. He finds Eugene on the couch, asleep, Ned and Keith’s smell trails leading upstairs.

Zach rests his head on the couch cushion by the sleeping man’s face, just watching him. After a few minutes he gets bored and presses his nose to Eugene’s trying to wake him up, licking his cheeks.

Eugene groans and lifts his arms up, pushing Zach’s face away from his own. Zach whimpers and steps back, pawing at the couch, wanting attention. Eugene yawns and wipes his face, sitting up.

“Zach?” He asks, opening his eyes. 

Eugene’s shocked to see his friend back so soon, and still in his wolf form at that. There’s still a few hours before moonrise, he wasn’t expecting him back until he’s human again.

Zach whines again, pawing at the couch, touching Eugene’s knee with his paw, careful not to rip his sweatpants with his claws. Eugene pushes his paws away, reaching over to scratch behind Zach’s ears.

“Hey, buddy, didn’t think you’d be back before you were human again, you okay?” Zach rests his head on Eugene’s lap, blinking slowly. Eugene smiles down at him, “Guess you just wanted to come home, huh. Don’t blame you, it’s a nice place to be, home.”

Zach lifts his head up and starts to walk away, looking back to see if Eugene is still following him. He leads him outside and picks up a dog toy that he keeps around for Bowie and hands it to Eugene.

Eugene takes it from him, looking at it curiously before realizing that Zach just wants to play with him. He laughs lightly, rolling back his right shoulder before throwing the ball across the yard, Zach chasing after it.

Eugene plays with him for a while, switching around the toys, going from balls to squeaker toys to rope to fight for. Bowie joins in on the fun, wrestling with Zach at times, Zach is much bigger than Bowie, it’s clear he goes easy on the dog, so he doesn’t hurt him. 

Eugene finds it adorable, Zach really is like an overgrown dog, he’s having a lot of fun running back and forth with Bowie, playing with all the dog toys.

After a few hours of the three of them playing around in Zach’s backyard, Ned and Keith wake up to their alarm, they make their way downstairs to the living room but Eugene isn’t there, they’re momentarily confused until they hear the commotion outside.

Following the noise they open the back door only to stand there in shock at the scene playing out in front of them. Eugene is lying on his back, Zach on top of him, paws on either side, trying to rip a rope toy out of Eugene’s hands.

Zach’s ears twitch when the door opens, he drops the toy and looks over, seeing the two men. He pushes off Eugene, barking excitedly, running over to the two of them, running around them, avoiding jumping on them, not wanting to hurt either man.

“He wants you to pet him.” Eugene sits up.

Ned reaches out, touching the top of Zach’s head, scratching behind his ears. Zach sits down, allowing Keith to get closer, petting down his back, eventually getting him to roll over and scratch his stomach.

It’s a little weird at first, knowing their best friend is the wolf right now, and they’re scratching his stomach, but they’ve done weirder shit to him for videos, and just in general, so they get over that pretty quickly.

They spend the last hour before moonset playing with Zach a bit more. As the moon gets lower in the sky the less enthusiastic Zach is, the more distance he puts between himself and his friends. 

Eventually he moves completely away, and any time they attempt to get closer he furthers the distance until they get the message. When he turns back it’s essentially the same thing that happened the night before, only in reverse.

Keith turns away this time, not wanting to watch the transformation again, the first time being more than enough for him. 

When he’s fully human again he attempts to stand on his two feet, only to stumble a bit. Eugene and Ned rush over, catching him before he falls, wrapping Zach’s arms around their shoulders, Eugene keeping his hand on Zach’s chest.

“How’re feeling?” Eugene asks.

“Fine, tired. I didn’t really appreciate the baby talk while I was in my wolf.” Zach tells him, but he’s smiling.

He smiles back, “sure you didn’t, puppy.” he coos, helping him inside.

They get him inside, giving him a pair of boxers along with some sweatpants to wear before letting him curl up on the couch with a takeout container of cold food, too hungry to wait for it to warm up.

“Thanks for staying over.” Zach says softly after a few minutes of just him eating in silence.

Ned smiles softly, “No problem, buddy. We’ll get you settled in and go to the office without you, you don’t have to come in today, take it off to rest.”

“I’ll come in and check on you later today, much later.” Eugene tells him, earning a thankful glance from Zach.

“I thought you said you were dangerous,” Keith speaks up, “You were kind of just like an overgrown dog, played with all of Bowie’s toys, destroyed some of them, actually.”

Zach shrugs, “I don’t know, I’ve never been around humans before when I’ve been in my wolf, well, humans I know anyway, I’ve seen strangers, but I’ll just growl and they’ll leave me alone.”

“Maybe you came back because you trust us.” Ned suggests.

Zach shrugs, “Maybe? I don’t really know, I still don’t remember a lot, it’s fragmented, like you wake up after a night drinking and can only remember parts of the night, and even then it’s hazy. I remember running with Bowie then turning around to go home, I don’t know what made me go home, I think I just wanted to be with my…” He trails off, shaking his head before picking up where he left off, “I remember waking up Eugene, and then playing outside with Bowie, and I know there was  _ a lot  _ of baby talk.” He side eyes Keith.

“What can I say, you’re an adorable puppy, and you know I don’t like them that much.”

“I am a vicious animal!”

“And you’re such a good boy.” Ned coos at him.

Zach pouts, “I change my mind, none of you are allowed to be here when I change ever again.”

The three men laugh and Zach finishes what’s left of his take out, gathering the strength to stand up and throw his own trash away in the kitchen. He stops to do a few mild arm stretches, hearing his joints crack all over himself, popping themselves back into their proper places. The whole transformation makes his body feel  _ wrong,  _ even more so than his autoimmune disease does.

“Thank you for staying, ‘m gonna go sleep now.”

Ned smiles, “good, sleep. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Zach smiles back and makes his way upstairs, ready to sleep until the following day. The other three men let themselves out, locking the door behind them, they have a spare key to his house.

Zach curls in his bed, wrapping the blankets fully around his body, his memory is hazy still, it always is whenever he turns, and it won’t get any clearer, but even then he has vivid dreams full of his friends laughter and bright smiles while in his own backyard.

 

Eugene stays true to his promise, he comes over later that day with some more food for Zach to eat. They eat it in Zach’s bed, comfortable surrounded by the bunch of pillows Zach keeps on his bed. 

“You know this whole wolf thing makes a lot of sense when you think about how you can smell food from far away, and your hearing being like, so good.”

Zach hums, setting his empty plate on his bedside table, “Yeah, and why my metabolism is so fast too.”

“What I don’t get is why you aren’t more athletic.”

“My human form and my wolf form are two very different beings.” He lays back.

“Clearly.” 

Zach hits Eugene’s shoulder, earning a laugh from the other man. Eugene places his empty plate on top of Zach’s, laying down next to him. Zach shifts, curling around Eugene in a forced cuddle.

Eugene drops his head, pressing the tip of his nose to Zach’s hair, “you feeling better after your sleep?”

Zach nods, “yeah, I stretched so my body is feeling better, like it’s my own again.”

Eugene frowns, he can’t imagine what it must be like, living with that kind of curse. “That’s good. Keith was talking today, about getting you some bigger toys, and an extra large dog bed, I don’t think he was joking.”

Zach laughs, “that would be kind of nice, if you guys are here I wouldn’t want to run away as much, I could play with you for most of the time.”

“I’d like that, I don’t know if I could stay up all night with you every time though, I’m pretty worn out now, running on only a few hours of sleep.”

“I wouldn’t force you to be with me the whole time, even in my wolf, you could just tell me and then go to sleep, and I’d be okay with that.”

Eugene hums, closing his eyes. “We’ll talk about it next month.” he mumbles, drifting off.

Zach keeps his hold on Eugene, not letting him get up. “Sleep here tonight, you’re too tired to drive home.” He mumbles.

Eugene doesn’t even try to protest, he gets comfortable in his position, wrapping an arm around the other man and falling into a deep sleep.

 

The entire month leading to the next full moon Zach’s three friends have been gifting him randomly with toys meant for large dogs, either when they’re hanging out together as friends or in the office with other employees, it’s not hard to cover it up, when they’re in the office they tell everyone it’s for Bowie.

What isn’t as easy to cover up is the way Eugene starts calling Zach puppy, at first it starts off as just the four of them alone, but it quickly turns to him saying it around the office. It catches on with everyone who works with The Try Guys, even makes it into one of the videos, the three of them calling Zach puppy at least once.

Zach claims he hates it, getting annoyed and says it could be a risk, allowing people to think he’s a werewolf, but really he loves it, pet names are always something he liked, and Eugene cooing at him is something he likes more than he cares to admit to himself, let alone out loud. 

At one point when the four of them are all at the office late at night, prepping for upcoming videos, Ned brings up a topic he’s been thinking about since the previous full moon.

“Hey, Zach.”

Zach hums, “yeah?”

“Last full moon, when you turned back human, and we asked why you thought you came back, you said you wanted to be with something, but you didn’t finish the sentence, what were you going to say?”

Zach blushes a bit, looking at his computer screen, away from the other men, “Uh, well… My wolf wanted to come home to his pack.”

“But you don’t have one here, you said it was just you.”

Zach shifts, “well, I don’t have an all wolf pack but,” He pauses, taking a breath before mustering up enough courage to admit, “I kind of think of you guys as my pack.”

Keith and Eugene both look over at him at that, the three men all staring at Zach who is very much not looking at any of them.

“You think of us as your pack?” Ned asks.

Zach shrugs, “Yeah… I think of you and Eugene as the Pack Alphas, and Keith as a beta with me. Closer to the moon I start to think of Ariel as your mate, and Wes as your cub instead of your wife and child, and Becky as Keith’s mate.”

“Is that why you listened extremely well to Eugene and Ned and not so much me?” Keith speaks up.

Zach shrugs, “kind of, yeah. They’re in charge of the pack, take control and give orders, I think of you more as my equal.”

“That’s really sweet, Zach, you think of us as your pack, like we’re you’re family.” Eugene smiles.

“Well you guys are my family.” He shifts.

Keith walks over to where Zach is sitting down, giving him a tight hug, “You’re our family too.”

Zach smiles, tilting his head to the side when Keith rests his chin on his shoulder, hugging him back tight. 

“You always do that,” Eugene speaks up watching the two men hug, “tilt your head when you hug one of us, but when you’re with other people you don’t.”

Zach pulls back from the hug, a fresh blush staining his cheeks. “Yeah, uh, with wolves, baring your neck is a sign of submission and trust, especially within packs, it’s customary to show your neck when around your Pack Alphas to show your submission to them or close friends to show your trust.”

“Werewolf customs are interesting, is that why whenever I walk into the room you tip your head back?” Eugene asks.

Zach nods, “Yeah, I do it for Ned too.”

“How sweet, you automatically submit to your Alphas.” Ned smiles.

Zach quickly shakes his head, “no, no. Pack Alphas, not my Alpha, two very different things.”

“What’s the difference.”

“Saying just Alpha makes it sound like you two are my mates rather than leaders of my pack, you’re not  _ my  _ Alpha you’re my  _ Pack Alpha _ .” 

Ned hums, “I suppose this makes sense, what would you call yourself, if you’re not an Alpha?”

“Probably a Beta, my sister might say an Omega, for the most part it varies based off personality, but I’m pretty submissive, I take orders better than I give orders, but I’m not always like that, you guys know."

“Yeah, we’ve noticed that, but it works with our little group, our pack.” Ned smiles. 

 

The next full moon Ned and Keith both try their hardest to rearrange their plans so they’re able to make it to Zach’s house for his transformation, but Keith’s out of town with Becky and Wes runs a fever, nothing dangerous, but not one where Ned is comfortable leaving his son.

Zach understands completely, he doesn’t pressure either of them, he’s used to being alone, but even then he won’t be, Eugene is there, and he’s made it clear he’s staying with Zach the whole night.

Keith feels extremely bad for missing out and stops by Zach’s house before he leaves, dragging in an extremely large dog bed, one that looks like it could fit two of Zach in his wolf as well as Bowie.

Zach finds it hilarious and makes room in his living room for the comically large dog bed, keeping it next to the two bins of dog toys, one full of Bowie’s, the second filling up quickly with toys meant for Zach.

 

The night he transforms he stays with Eugene from the start, moonrise happens at 8:11 and from then on he’s a wolf, and spends the night in his backyard with Bowie and Eugene, playing with all the toys Ned and Keith bought him.

They’re big toys, rope that’s more sturdy, Zach’s teeth won’t rip through it nearly as quickly as he would a regular dog toy, as well as some bigger toys to throw and he can chew on without them breaking so fast.

Around two am Eugene starts to yawn, and his throws get weaker, he rubs his eyes more often, but doesn’t go inside, knowing Zach needs him to stay out here and help him deal with all of this energy.

Zach notices Eugene’s energy significantly lower than it was earlier and walks over to him, dropping a ball at his feet and leaning up to lick his arm. Eugene bends down and scratches under his chin, Zach bares his neck for him and Eugene smiles.

Zach pulls away, shakes his head and barks something at Bowie behind him. He gives Eugene a slow blink before turning around and running out the back gate, Bowie following him.

Eugene stands there a bit confused, but he’s too tired to really care, he makes his way back into Zach’s house and falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow on Zach’s spare bed.

Zach spends the rest of the night running around with Bowie, going to his usual path, getting the rest of his urges out this way. He returns home quarter after five am, turning back human less than five minutes after that. 

He stumbles inside to see Eugene in his kitchen, making him breakfast. Zach stands there in the doorway, a little stunned at what he’s looking at. Eugene turns to look at him and laughs, throwing a pair of boxers at him.

“What’s wrong, Zach?”

“You’re making breakfast.” Zach says, pulling on the underwear

“Yeah, I figured you’d want something to eat and we don’t have much left over food, so I’m making pancakes, they’re not that hard to make. There’s some already done on the table, start eating.”

Zach does as told, sitting down and starting to eat the first plate of pancakes in front of him. Eugene finishes off the rest of the batter, putting them on a fresh plate and placing them on the table in front of Zach, making sure the stove is off before joining him.

“Did you get enough sleep?” Zach asks as he adds another few pancakes on is plate.

“I got a few hours, don’t worry, I’ll sleep a bit more before going into work, I promise.” Eugene assures him.

Zach relaxes, taking a large bite, “good, you shouldn’t be running on such little sleep all the time, you know it’s bad.”

“I know, I’ll sleep for a few more hours here then go into work, I brought clothes for it.” Eugene says.

The two finish off their pancakes, Zach eating all of them except the few that Eugene had for himself. Zach goes upstairs while Eugene quickly cleans up the kitchen, washing the pan and putting everything else in the dishwasher.

He walks upstairs once he’s done, going to Zach’s room to see if he’s settled in bed yet. Zach’s dressed in sweatpants and a big T-shirt that looks like he stole it from Keith, he smiles when he sees Eugene walk into his room, tipping his head back when Eugene gets closer.

Eugene tips his own head to the side, baring his own neck to Zach, he figures since Zach is doing it as a sign of submission to his Pack Alpha, the least he can do is show his own neck as a sign of trust.

Zach instinctually leans in, closer to Eugene’s neck, it’s customary that after your Pack Alpha shows you their neck you scent them. He stops himself just before his nose touches Eugene’s neck and quickly pulls back, his face flushed.

Eugene gives him a strange look, “what, what’s wrong? Should I have not shown you my neck?”

“It’s just- you’re my Pack Alpha, and you showed me your neck, I’m supposed to- Usually I would.” Zach takes a breath, trying to relax himself. “It’s customary to scent after my Pack Alpha shows me their neck.”

“Oh, well if you want to, you can.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’ll be a little weird, I don’t exactly know what it is, but if it’s what you’re used to you can scent me, if you want.”

Zach hesitates but leans in, pressing his nose a bit under Eugene’s ear, closing his eyes and breathing him in. Eugene keeps his head tilted to the side, letting Zach get close, he can feel Zach relax by doing something like this.

Zach pulls back and he has a lazy grin on his face, Eugene isn’t sure it’s there because he’s tired or because of the scenting, but he doesn’t ask.

“Ready to sleep, puppy?”

Zach nods and he pushes back his covers to get under them. Eugene makes sure he’s snuggled in the way he likes it before pulling away. Zach’s hand reaches out and grabs Eugene’s hand, keeping him there for a moment longer.

“Thank you.” Zach mumbles, half asleep already.

Eugene squeezes his hand softly, bringing it to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back of Zach’s hand before gently placing his hand back on the bed and walks out of the room.

 

After that night whenever the two of them are alone and Zach bares his neck, Eugene does it in return, letting Zach scent him if he wants to. Eugene tried it for Zach once, he doesn’t really get the appeal, other than being able to be extremely close to Zach for a few seconds, but then again, he doesn’t have the same kind of nose as Zach.

 

The next month Ned and Keith both can’t make it to be there with Zach on the full moon again, they both feel terrible but Zach assures them multiple times that it’s fine, Eugene will be there with him, and he’s never really alone since he has Bowie, but even then they both continuously apologize. 

Eugene and Zach have the same kind of night they did the last full moon, Zach turns at 8:23 pm and from then on the two of them along with Bowie spend hours in the backyard, running around, wrestling, playing with the extensive toy collection Zach has gained.

By one am Eugene starts to get tired, and it’s clear, even to Zach’s wolf, that he’s pushing himself so he can stay awake and be with him. Zach lets him throw the large frisbee one last time, catching it in his mouth before taking it back over to Eugene and dropping it on the grass.

Before Eugene can pick it up Zach bumps his head to his stomach once then turning around and walking towards the back door of his house. He stands on his hind legs, opening the unlocked door by pushing down the handle and walks inside.

Eugene follows him inside, confused on where he’s going and impressed on how he managed to open that door on his own. Eugene follows him to the living room, confused on where he’s going. Zach climbs onto the large dog bed and lays down on his side, stretching out his legs. Eugene stares at him for a bit, wondering what the wolf is doing.

“Puppy what are you doing?” Eugene asks, Zach whines and thumps his paws, wagging his tail. “You want me to lay down with you? I guess I can do that.”

Eugene lays down, resting his head on Zach’s stomach, closing his eyes. He means to lay there for just a moment, but he falls fast asleep very quickly. Eugene turns his head, nuzzling his face into Zach’s fur.

Bowie curls up on his own bed, falling asleep quickly. Zach stays still, not wanting to wake Eugene up since he knows he needs the sleep.

After a few hours of laying like that the front door opens, it’s around five in the morning when it happens. Zach lifts his head up, curling closer to Eugene, only relaxing when he sees the person in his house is Keith.

“Hey, Zach, how are you feeling tonight?” He speaks softly, leaning down to pet him, one that Zach happily accepts. “Eugene fell asleep on you? Poor puppy, here I’ll wake him up.”

Keith takes his hand back and moves to shake Eugene awake, only he’s stopped when Zach growls, deep in his throat, moving his head between Keith’s hand and Eugene’s body. Keith’s eyes go wide and he takes his hand back, far away from Zach’s very sharp teeth.

Zach immediately recoils, pulling his head back and whimpers, shifting his paws together, he never meant to scare his packmate. He moves just slightly, letting Eugene’s head slip off his stomach and getting up without disturbing him much. He makes his way over and rests his head on Keith’s knee

Keith frowns, hearing these noises, “Hey buddy, don’t whine, I’m sorry, you’re just protective aren’t you, didn’t want me to wake him up. I get it, Eugene doesn’t sleep much anyway, he should get as much as he can get.”

Keith scratches behind his ears and Zach closes his eyes slowly, relaxing under his hand. Keith ruffles the top of Zach’s hair and pushes him off to stand up so they can go outside and play some more, Zach still has an hour before he has to turn back.

When Zach is ready to turn back Keith goes inside, not wanting to watch the transformation one bit. Zach pulls on the sweatpants that Keith left out for him and stretches his arms, rolling back his shoulders as he walks inside.

Keith looks over at him when he hears Zach walk inside a few moments, Zach tips his head up and smiles at his friend.

“Are you making me breakfast?”

Keith nods, “yeah, figured you’d like an omelette or two after that, go sit on the couch, Eugene’s waking up now I think.”

Zach hums and goes into his living room, curling up on his couch near the arm rest. Eugene is sitting up on the dog bed, rubbing his eyes, waking himself up, even though it’s still early, just passed 6:40 on a Saturday morning.

“You know this bed is surprisingly comfortable,” Eugene says, standing up, “My back doesn’t hurt at all from sleeping on it.”

He walks over to Zach who instinctively lifts his head back, Eugene sits down and tips back his own head, letting Zach lean in and scent him for the moment. Zach pulls back and settles against the armrest, content.

“Yeah, I know, I’ve fallen asleep there before, it’s pretty nice actually.”

Keith walks in a few moments later with three plates of food, handing a plate to each of them. Zach’s plate has three omelettes while Eugene and Keith’s only have one, he has to load up on food intake after burning off so much energy.

“So, Keith when did you get here?” Eugene asks.

“Around five I think, you were asleep on the dog bed with Zach when I walked in.”

“Damn, I didn’t even hear you,”

“Yeah, Zach made sure of that.” Keith laughs, taking another bite.

“Hm?” Eugene turns to Zach, confused, “what do you mean Zach made sure of that?”

Zach ducks his head, busying himself with his omelettes, showing half of one in his mouth, avoiding eye contact with Eugene.

Keith swallows his bite and waves his fork around, “I walked in and tried to wake you up but Zach growled at me, pushed me away so you could sleep more, then we went outside and threw around the toys until it was time for him to turn back, you were asleep the whole time, only woke up when I was making these.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that.” Eugene says, softly, looking at Zach as he talks.

The subject is dropped and they move on until they finish their meals, Keith helps clean up quickly until he leaves, wanting to spend the rest of the Saturday with his wife. Eugene hangs back, making sure the kitchen is cleaned up before following Zach upstairs to help get him comfortable in bed.

Zach sits down on his bed, rolling his shoulders back, hearing his joints pop as he does, letting out a small groan.

“You still tight from the transformation?” Eugene asks quietly.

Zach nods, twisting his neck around, “Yeah, my skin always feels wrong around my bones, it’s a weird feeling.”

Eugene sits next to him, putting his hands on his shoulders and digging his thumbs in without being asked to, he doesn’t like seeing Zach in so much pain. He tenses under him for a moment but Eugene doesn’t let up, continuing to massage, until Zach relaxes under him.

“Thanks.” Zach says quietly.

Eugene hums in response, waiting for the right moment before bringing up, “so, protective wolf?”

Zach flushes from his forehead to his neck, red crawling to the tips of his ears, he rolls back his shoulders to get Eugene’s hands off of him and turns over, laying on his side.

“M good, you can leave now.” He mumbles.

Eugene laughs to himself, he lays down next to Zach, spooning up behind him and wraps his arms around his side, resting his head on Zach’s shoulder.

“Nope, I won’t leave.”

Eugene is being oddly affectionate, it’s not normal for him, even if lately he’s been more lenient with Zach, letting him scent a few times a day, accepting hugs, and sitting closer to him than necessary. Zach really likes the way he feels tucked under Eugene’s arms, so he doesn’t look the gift horse in it’s mouth.

“You were asleep, you’re my Pack Alpha, and you were being threatened, so I kept you from being woken up. You were tired, and needed sleep, I just stopped Keith from waking you up.”

“Just your Pack Alpha?” Eugene asks softly, turning his nose to touch Zach’s cheek.

Zach takes a moment to fully process what Eugene is asking of him. He squirms around in his hold, rolling over so he’s face to face with the other man.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not a difficult question, you made it clear, thinking of someone as your Pack Alpha is much different than thinking of them as your Alpha, so again, just your Pack Alpha?”

Zach looks into Eugene’s eyes, searching for any kind of misleading energy, he holds his gaze for a few moments, feeling like he could melt from the heat of his stare. After a long minute Zach shakes his head no.

Eugene smiles, he doesn’t bother waiting for a verbal reply, going in for a quick kiss to his lips. Zach kisses back quickly, he was expecting this, for once he wasn’t caught off guard. It barely lasts a few moments before Zach has to break it off to yawn.

Eugene laughs a bit, “tired, pup?”

Zach nods, reaching up to rub his eyes, “Yeah, but we have to talk, there’s a lot of things here, with you being not just my Pack Alpha, dating as a werewolf, all the things that go along with it, my super traditional family, we have a lot of customs, and also just us with our company and lives.”

“Yeah, and all of that can be talked about when you wake up. You should be fully awake for this conversation, sleep now, Zach.”

“Stay with me?”

Eugene nods, “of course.” It’s a Saturday, his day off, his original plan was to stay in bed all day anyway.”

Zach smiles and lifts his head up when Eugene pulls him closer, Zach does this a lot, and to Eugene, a human, it doesn’t really mean a lot, but he knows that showing his neck is a big sign of trust between wolves. This time Eugene knows Zach means for Eugene to lean in and scent him, so he does, he doesn’t have the same nose, so really it’s nuzzling under Zach’s ear, but he knows Zach appreciates the gesture. 

Eugene shifts and turns his head so Zach can do the same to him, he takes much longer, nuzzling his neck, taking deep breaths. Eugene is a bit envious of what he can smell with a wolf’s nose.

Zach pulls back with a relaxed, sleepy smile, he rests his head on the pillow, facing Eugene and falls asleep quickly. Eugene takes in the sight before him for a few moments, just watching him before letting sleep take over, curled up with his mate.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment and Kudos please i run purely on caffeine and validation   
> this might be my last fic for this fandom for a while, I don't really have more ideas for this ship, I'm surprised I managed to write as many as I did for this fandom actually.  
> HOWEVER i still really like this fandom and this ship I've had a lot of fun here and I don't plan on leaving any time soon so drop by [my sideblog kittenzach](https://kittenzach.tumblr.com/) for more Try Guys content!


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